


Hurting

by Azkaabanter



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dad!Tony, Hurt Peter, IW killed me I needed to write some happy ending angst, Iron Dad, Precious Peter Parker, Son!Peter, Takes place between SM:HC and Infinity War, spider son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 15:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14596116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azkaabanter/pseuds/Azkaabanter
Summary: Taking place between Homecoming and Infinity War.When Peter calls Tony at two am, trying to mask the very obvious fear in his voice, it takes Tony negative time to see that something is definitely wrong with his Spider-Son.





	Hurting

* * *

Tony knows something is wrong the second his phone rings and he can see ‘ _Peter Parker_ ’ on the screen, accompanied by a spider emoji that the teenager had insisted he’d add. It wouldn’t be unusual that the young man is calling; far from it- 

except for one thing.

 

It’s two am.

 

And his mandatory curfew is midnight.

 

Tony unlocks the phone in his hand, bringing it to his ear so fast he nearly gives himself a concussion with how hard he slams it into his head.

 

“Peter?” He tries to say it nonchalantly, as you do when you’re multi-billionaire/superhero who has no fucks to give.

 

“H-hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter’s bright voice rings through the speaker, some light static accompanying his voice in the background, which wouldn’t happen in his suit.

 

“Are you using your phone?”

 

“Yeah, I... I’m just at home, ya know. Just wanted to... um... say hi.” Peter’s voice gets shakier the longer he speaks, and he ends his sentence with a cough. Tony is completely unconvinced that the young hero is just at home, calling randomly at two in the morning.

 

Tony sighs before speaking. “Peter, cut the bullshit and talk to me. What’s wrong?”

 

Peter’s quiet for a moment and the older man can hear some kind of shuffling, almost as if the receiver is being covered. After another moment, Peter’s voice returns.

 

“Honestly sir, nothing’s...” Peter takes a deep breath. “Nothing’s wrong.” Tony throws off the covers and starts pulling on clothes as he replies. Something is definitely wrong.

 

“Alright... well...” Tony tries to think of something to keep his mentee talking. “How was patrol today?” He asks, pulling on some sweatpants and getting to his feet.

 

“It was pretty normal...” Peter trails off, seemingly in thought whilst Tony presses the glowing arc reactor on his chest, causing the microbots of his new suit to expand out over his skin, the cool metal comforting him. He holds the phone between his cheek and shoulder, mask still off.

 

“And what exactly do you consider normal?” Tony asks, walking through the desolate halls of the complex to reach the roof.

 

“Well... do you remember the lady who bought me the churro?” Tony gives a sarcastic snort to stay in character and not make the kid suspicious.

 

“Of course.” Tony picks up his pace, listening to the uneven pace of Peter’s breaths.

 

“Well, I saw her again today, and this time I bought _HER_ a churro.” Peter tries to make his diction seem like his normal self, but it falls flat, sounding forced. He lets out a noise that sounds like a gasp, but tries to cover it up with a cough. Tony can swear he hears a voice in the background saying ‘ _time’s up._ ’

 

Time is most definitely _not_ up.

 

“Hey, that’s cool! What about-“ Peter cuts Tony off as he’s trying to keep the kid talking.

 

“Mr. Stark?” Peter’s breathing is audibly strained at the words, and Tony’s heart rate doubles.

 

“Yeah Kid?” He asks, pushing open the door to the helipad and getting ready to take off into the night. The sound in the phone gets distorted, almost as if someone’s wrestling to take it from the young hero.

 

“Mr. Stark...” Tony can tell the phone’s been taken by how quiet Peter’s voice seems. “ _Dad_!” Is the last thing Tony hears before the click of a gun, and the call is ended.

 

Tony knows there’ll be no response, but still he yells into the receiver “Peter!  _Peter_ \- fuck!” he curses, bending his knees slightly and jumping into the air, his suit’s boosters turning on and propelling him through the air, leaving the phone and the helipad behind.

 

‘ _No. Nononono, this isn’t happening, it can’t be..._ ’ Flashes of his time in Afghanistan held prisoner race through the genius’ head, and all he can think of is Peter going through what he did- it makes him want to scream.

 

“FRIDAY?” Tony asks, voice strained to the AI.

 

“Yes, Mr. Stark?” Her calming, nearly flawlessly human voice purrs in his ear. He programmed her to keep him calm and focused in tense situations, and it usually works, but for some reason, it isn’t right now.

 

“Get me Peter’s location. Connect me with Karen, do something!”

 

“I’m sorry sir, but it seems that the tracker in Spider-Man’s suit is disconnected, as is my connection with Karen. Would you like me to tell you the last place the tracker picked them up?”

 

Tony is basically hyperventilating at this point, his head spinning and heart palpitating because Peter’s just a kid.

 

Peter’s just _his_ kid, and Tony would rather die than see anything happen to _his kid._

 

“Yes, just hurry, please.” He’s flying over the city now, lights bright and blinding, the amount of color enough to give him epilepsy. The honking of the cars and the yelling of the people and the fact that Peter is out there possibly dead is almost _too much_.

 

“You got that location yet?” Tony asks through gritted teeth, eyes scanning the building tops. Tony holds his breath for a moment as FRIDAY processes his request.

 

“Yes sir. Their last recorded location was 130th Avenue and 166th Place, outside an abandoned apartment building.” Tony curses quietly.

 

“Why is it always an abandoned building?” The billionaire says under his breath, before engaging the thrusters on his suit and shooting over the city as fast as it would allow (which is, you know... pretty damn fast.)

 

In no time at all he stands on the roof of the building, trying to open the rusted door as quietly as possible. Tony’s heart thumps in his chest and his mind races with all the possible ways that Peter could be hurt or dead, and praying for the first time in his life that’s he’s wrong about something.

 

He creeps through the building, the decaying walls browning, ceiling dripping, and paint peeling. Iron-Man rounds a corner and makes his way down the stairwell

 

down

 

down

 

 _down_

 

 Until the man reaches the bottom floor of the building. He’d be unable to see if not for his suit’s night vision capabilities. Tony wanders around for a bit, getting more and more nervous every second that passes where Peter isn’t safe with him, until he sees something.

 

There’s a light shining from under a door across the room he’s in.

 

Quiet as he possibly can, Tony treads across the room, activating the advanced hearing capabilities in his suit, and pressing against the wall next to the door to listen. He can tell the room’s been meticulously soundproofed; these guys must know what they’re doing. The second the software is activated, a booming voice fills the engineer’s ears.

 

“Dude, you got blood all over my shoes!” Okay. Not a promising first thing to hear.

 

“Stop complaining, dumbass. We get this job done, and boss’ll give us an extra hundred grand, easy. He’s been trying to get rid of this Spider-Twerp for months.” Tony’s breath catches in his throat, but he forces himself to stay still, FRIDAY whispering analytics on the situation into his ear, which for some reason, calms him.

 

Tony hears some shuffling before the first man talks again. “Why do we even care about the damn Avengers anymore? Ever since America left, Stark’s been lost. It’s like he can’t function without his little boy toy.” The men laugh, and Tony clenches his fist.

 

“It’s what boss wants, and who am I to question a giant purple guy?”

 

“Well if he wants the bug gone, why don’t we just squash him now?” So he’s still alive. Peter’s still alive, still breathing in that room. But the way that man refers to Peter as something so weak makes Tony’s blood boil in his veins. Sure, the kid can be reckless and stupid, but if he can catch a bus with his bare hands, hold together a ferry, and lift a concrete building off of himself, he’s definitely stronger than that asshole in that room.

 

“Because I think boss wants the honors, and he just wants us to hurt the kid, really, _really,_ bad.” More laughter, and then a new voice.

 

“Please...” Tony’s heart freezes.

 “Shut up, kid.” The crack of a fist on what can only be Peter’s cheek is what sets Stark into action.

 

“Peter...” he whispers, and then sets his resolve.

 

Tony steps away from the door, holding out his arm and shooting into the thick metal, blowing it to shards. Once the smoke clears, it reveals two muscly men, one holding a small pistol, the other holding a long knife.

 

And sitting between the two, maskless, bloody, and glassy eyed, is Peter Parker.

 

“Fuck fuck fuuuck!” The man with the bloody shoes yells after the initial shock of fucking Iron Man busting into his red-room scene wears off. He thrusts his hand into his pocket as Tony lunges at his partner, who drops his pistol the second a titanium covered fist hits his cheek.

 

The man who isn’t downed is speaking rapidly into his phone before he closes it, and looks Tony right on the eyes, his own wild.

 

“Boss won’t be too happy about this, Stark. Someone’s gotta pay, and you’re a little harder to get to in that suit.” The man says with a sick smile, taking the knife in his hand and driving it down into Peter’s stomach before Tony can stop him.

 

“No!” The man yells, before turning on the person who hurt his kid, holding out an arm, and blasting the sick smile off his face, and turning to Peter.

 

“Peter!” He yells, looking down at Spider-Man, his mentee.

 

The boy is bloody all over, a bullet hole in his shoulder, scratch marks on his cheeks, knife protruding from his stomach, and eyes unfocused.

 

“T-Tony?” His breath is ragged, and his tone makes the older man think that he didn’t even notice when the hero came in to save him.

 

“Yeah kid, it’s me.” Tony looks him up and down, before leaning in to pick the younger hero up, trying his absolute damnedest to not disturb his many wounds. “FRIDAY, text Aunt May and tell her that Peter’s going to be staying for his internship for a few days.”

 

“Yes Mr. Stark.” The AI replies, but hesitates for a moment. “Mr. Stark, it is advisable to say that without immediate medical assistance, Mr. Parker will die, even accounting for his enhanced healing.” Tony looks down at the boy in his arms, barely sixteen and looking small enough to be even younger, body curled around the knife in his gut and shivering, passed out from pain.

 

“Yeah, I know.” And he does.

 

Tony rushes out of the building, Peter in his arms, and flies them back to the tower, medical team already on standby.

 

As he flies and the sky turns from black to a grey from the rising sun, a thought occurs to him that hasn’t since he left a few hours ago.

 

“ _Mr. Stark... Dad..._ ” Dad.

 

Peter had called him Dad.

 

Despite the dire situation, Tony does something he hasn’t in quite some time. He smiles.

 

* * *

 

 A few hours later, Tony sits next to Peter’s bed in the Avengers’ in-house hospital ( _because what superhero headquarters would be complete without a hospital_ ) clutching his son’s hand like a lifeline; he’s been doing so ever since the kid got out of surgery, knife gone, bullet hole stitched, slashes bandaged.

 

 And Tony considers Peter just that; a son. Even if all Tony does is tell the boy ‘ _no_ ’ over and over and over, trying more than anything to keep the kid safe because it’s all his fault Peter is even on these Avenger-level villains radars. He could’ve just continued to be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and maybe become an Avenger when he’s older.

 

Not as a teenager.

 

Not when he has so much life left to live.

 

 Tony looks at Peter’s pale face, cradled by soft pillows and sterile white blankets, the morning sun resting peacefully over his still features.

 This kid is going to be the death of him.

 

“M-Mr. Stark?” A groggy voice breaks the hero out of his thoughts, bringing his focus to the brunette in front of him, eyes squeezed shut.

 

“Are you in pain?” Tony asks worriedly, about to call a nurse, before the boy raises a shaky hand to stop him.

 

“No, no... it’s just bright in here.” Peter rapidly blinks until his eyes get used to the light, and leans back on his pillows. The room is silent for a few moments, both trying to think of a way to say what they need to. Tony’s the first one to speak, as usual.

 

“So, mind telling me why the fuck I had to go save you from an abandoned apartment building at two thirty in the morning?” Tony pulls out the sassy-disappointed card... it’s really the only one he knows how to use.

 

He’s just like his father.

 

Peter averts his eyes sheepishly and plays with the hem of the blanket in his hands.

 

“I was following them because I’ve seen them before. Robbing banks, drugging women, and they always seem to get away.” Peter’s brow creases with anger.

“I wasn’t about to let them go this time, not when I finally had my chance.”

 

“And how did that work out for you?” Tony asks softly. Peter looks at him for a moment before replying.

 

“Not so good... they smashed the tracking chip in my suit when they threw me against a wall, and they took my mask and shredded it so I couldn’t call you or talk to Karen.” Peter’s voice gets softer and softer as he talks, as does Tony’s heart. “I almost had them...” Tony doesn’t waste another second before he leans over and hugs his kid, mindful of his injuries.

 

“Honestly? I’m just glad you’re safe.” Tony’s silent for a moment before looking Peter dead in the eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my son.” And the only reply the billionaire needs is the giant smile that fills Peter’s face to know that his kid will be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> I really needed something to take away the sting of That Scene™️ in Infinity War, so here’s something with a happy ending.
> 
> Review to make me happy!!


End file.
